WHO@ Newsletter - April 19, 2010

High school students attending a prom in Oklahoma say they watched as a repo man drove away a limousine they had rented. At least one initially thought it was being stolen.

Landon Wiland said he and friends had rented the car from Galaxy Limos for Friday's prom in Jenks, a suburb of Tulsa. Wiland said they had gotten out of the car when it was driven away ­ while their driver was standing next to them. His reaction: "Our limo is getting carjacked."

Galaxy Limo owner Jim Nicolotti said there was a miscommunication between his lender and the repossession company. He said he and his bank had worked out their issues, but the bank did not tell the repo company to cancel the job.

Nicolotti plans to offer a partial refund or a free future rental to the customers affected.

(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)

New 'stalking' app for mobile phones - 04/18/10http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Technology/2010/04/18/New_stalking_app_for_mobile_phones_452367.htmlA new social networking tool allows mobile phone users to identify people just by taking a photo. The 'recogniser' application gives any mobile phone owner access to almost all online information about anyone they photograph.IT expert Charlie Brown has expressed concerns about the application, saying it's a walk up start for stalkers and could see an increase in identity theft cases.

DOJ abandons warrantless attempt to read Yahoo e-mail - 04/16/10http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20002722-38.htmlThe U.S. Justice Department has abruptly abandoned what had become a high-profile court fight to read Yahoo users' e-mail messages without obtaining a search warrant first. In a two-page brief filed Friday, the Obama administration withdrew its request for warrantless access to the complete contents of the Yahoo Mail accounts under investigation. CNET was the first to report on the Denver case in an article on Tuesday.

Cyber Stalking Safety - 04/15/10http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=12320101Acadiana's latest cyber stalking arrest raises issues about online safety. Alice Broussard-Latula is accused of created a Facebook page under a fake name and using that account to harass people online. The 28 year-old New Iberia woman has been booked in the parish jail.

Man faces cyberstalking charge over threatening e-mails - 04/14/10http://www.gastongazette.com/news/justified-45982-class-threatening.htmlA Dallas man accused of sending threatening e-mails to a woman was charged with cyberstalking on Wednesday. Robert Steven Cygan, 44, of 107 Landau Circle, allegedly wrote, “I got a pistol with your name wrote all over, and I ain’t afraid to use it on you,” in a March 17 e-mail to the complainant.

District attorney: Former TriMet driver planned to machine gun 12 Portlanders - 04/13/10http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/04/district_attorney_former_trime.htmlA former TriMet employee being held by Hawaii authorities is intent on getting a machine gun and killing 12 people in Portland that he blames for his firing, according to an affidavit by a Multnomah County deputy district attorney. E-mail threats, late-night phone calls, fake blog postings as well as other harassment show that James Lee Stenger, 57, is a danger to his targets and the community, and justify increasing bail to $1 million, wrote deputy district attorney Kevin Demer.

Homeowner hit by burglars three times... after they spotted his garage door left open on Street View - 04/13/10http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1265573/Google-Street-View-helped-thieves-rob-mountain-bike-garage.htmlA milkman has criticised Google's Street View software, claiming burglars targeted his garage three times after spotting its door wide open on the controversial website. Gordon Rayner believes criminals may have used the service which offers 360degree views of the country from street level. On the website, Mr Rayner can clearly be seen standing next to his house in front of an open garage.

Woman from Springfield MO offers warning about how not to use craigslist - 04/12/10http://www.ky3.com/news/local/90703504.htmlBuyer and seller beware! Springfield police are looking into another craigslist mishap. The classfied ads Web site works well for a lot of buyers and sellers but it didn't for a woman from Springfield. Lynette Hunter recently decided to downsize, and sell her house that she had lived in for 25 years. Her son told her the best way to get rid of a bunch of stuff was to post an ad on craigslist. She wrote that anything sitting in her front yard and garage would be free for the taking.

About Me

I'm a cyber crime expert and author of 8 books, soon to be 9! Although writing is my passion, cyber crime pays the bills. I give online safety lectures worldwide to students from 4th grade on up through college/university, as well as providing law enforcement training and speaking at various conferences as keynote.